About
Adrian van Well organises DSC1 and DSC2 assessments in the Netherlands together with BASC, whose Deer Assessment Centre provides the Senior Internal Verifier. He holds a deer forest in the Scottish Highlands and arranged the first DSC1 assessment in the Netherlands after finding the travel to Britain for training days impractical.
How this came about
In 1987 we managed to acquire a deer forest property in the Scottish Highlands. All the deer are managed within a deer management group. This group carries out a yearly count, a five-year helicopter count, and discussions on relevant items — fences, vegetation, venison and our cull programmes. Near to the estate we have two well-managed forests of the Forestry Commission. Over the years we have had excellent contacts with the Commission and discussed with them the possibility of leasing their surrounding grounds and forestry.
That lease would only be possible once we had passed Deer Stalking Certificate stage 1 and stage 2. After research we found it was possible to do the assessments in Scotland or England. In that case I had to come over for several training days during the year and two assessment days. This was problematic with my workload, so I contacted BASC. Together with BASC we managed to organise the first DSC1 assessment in The Netherlands.
Nick Lane, then Senior Training and Development Officer and head of the BASC Deer Assessment Centre, came over to The Netherlands specially and tested all the applicants. Several groups have passed here since, with a good number of Dutch hunters gaining DSC1 and several going on to achieve DSC2.
Results
95% of candidates pass here. That number is worth reading carefully: it is high because candidates arrive prepared, not because the assessment is soft. The evening before is spent on the visual module, the safety questions are issued weeks in advance, and a gunsmith is on site for the one thing you cannot fix yourself. The standard is the awarding body's, and it does not move.
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Holders of DSC1 in Great Britain | 16790 holders (as at 2012-04-17) |
| Holders of DSC2 in Great Britain | 3712 holders (as at 2012-04-17) |
| Accredited witnesses resident in the Netherlands | 8 accredited witnesses (as at 2012-04-17) |
Adrian has run DMQ assessments since 2007, and a group has passed here every year since. The first was arranged with BASC after a Forestry Commission lease made the qualification necessary.
The number of candidates certified is not published. That is a deliberate choice rather than a gap — the pass rate and the years are the proof that matters to someone deciding whether to book, and a cumulative headcount tells them less than either.
The BASC arrangement
Assessments here are delivered under the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. The Head of the BASC Deer Assessment Centre acts as Senior Internal Verifier on the day, and the certificate itself is awarded by Deer Management Qualifications. That is the same chain of responsibility as an assessment held in Britain, which is what makes the certificate the same certificate.
Nick Lane, BASC Head of Training, comes over from Britain to conduct the assessment alongside the organiser. Allowance is made for the language barrier, and the atmosphere is relaxed rather than formal.
Last reviewed .